I, too, think it's a great first page - but what struck me about the first attempt was that it was "top heavy" - I like to find my largest photo farther down on a scrapbook page.

I like the head shot as part of the large photo - that works very well for me.

I like the concept of using the map as background, but after you did it, I found the layout distracting - the map distracted from the photos. I would keep the map there, but not as a background for the entire layout.

Part of this creation process is subjective and as was already mentioned - you will develop a style as you work on more layouts. You need only please yourself, so if something works for you - and you are happy with the way it looks - well, then, it's perfect.

Personally, I like a cleaner look and am usually drawn to symmetry so your original page appeals to me - but my best work is when I go out of my comfort zone and get away from my symmetrical brain. LOL

From a technical aspect - it looks like you erased on both the building and portrait layers. You do not have to do that to make two items merge. Erase on only one - the top layer. BTW - you probably reversed the head shot and building layers because now the head shot is missing parts of the face because it's obscured by the building.

Thanks for the search on the dog tags. I've developed something I like. Now I need to create the metal digital beaded (ball) chain with the cylinder clasp(?) that would join the tags together. I've seen Wendy's pearl necklace tutorial and am thinking of adapting it to my project. Any other ideas here would be welcomed.

The only thing I'd recommend is experimenting more with pretty much anything and everything.

Here are some things you might want to play with:

Changing the blend mode and/or opacity of the layers
Adding additional layers of embellishments or textures (once again don't be afraid to play around with blend modes and opacity)
Try repositioning your elements. You can move what's on the bottom to the top, what's on the left to the right. By doing this you might come across a composition you like better.
Add shadows and layer styles. You can apply shadows to the photos and mats and experiment with shadows and some of the other layer styles on the title.
Try changing the font and/or shift the colors.
Use brushes (try grunge or distressed)

For more inspiration you can check out the Tip of the Week @ Scrappers Guide.

You page as it is is lovely, but if you aren't satisfied with how it is right now go through the suggestions. Really, the most unique pages are achieved by experimentation. There are so many ways to experiment within PSE with the amount of filters, effects, etc. So experiment and have fun.

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I've got something I'm pretty comfortable with now. I used Wendy's tutorial on making a pearl necklace as a starting point for making the chain for my dog tags and I think it works well.
Now I'm considering sources for printing my page. A while back I read some links on this but can't recall where. Does anyone have suggestions on where to print a scrapbook page? Also, are my elements too close to the edge or should I not worry about it?

Your dog tags and chain turned out fantastic - so realistic. Great job.

The only comment I would have is I would like to see your chain have something to do with some other part of your layout. Usually I "thread" the chain through a photo or journaling. I'm not saying it doesn't work as you have used it, I'm just suggesting there might be another look that would work, too.